Expansible band or bracelet



L. E. VALCOURT EXPANSIBLE BAND 0R BRACELET Aug. 15, 195o Filed Jan. l1,1949 l 1 fn den 1101". L ozz'sf VZtlcozzrZ arneys.

Patented Aug. 15, 1950 Y. mi "amasar o. i. 'y f.

D 0E? Louis Edmond- Valcourt, EastzPfJ-ovidenceg. In, assignor to.Kestenman Bros GoWBrovi-f dence, R. I., a corporation of Rhode IslandApplicationaJanuaryvll, 1949gJYSe1iaFNbs '70,200 Y s claims;(torta-17a). v

.l 'llhisi invention. relates to improvemients in: eacpansisble; metalbands, chains or linkages for use. ing-the. manufacture of articles ofjewelry such as; bracelets, necklaces, gin-iles and the like.

In general, the present invention consists: vai series: of outer andinner: links or: chai-n--elements'` are. interconnected to i'lexV invrelation `toeach other and having the: `inner links; tele.-scopicallyslidable in the outer links to.- permit. expansion. of theband or braceletv while beingnormally contracted by meansk oftensionsspringsenclosed within. the link-elements.V i

`@ne object of the. invention-is toVv provide an. improved; article ofmanufacture of.` the' type indicated .in which the li-nk-elementsy areadapted tof be. more convenientlyand rapidly assembled. and thesprings.applied theretof through the use ofi intertting vpartsto hold them. atthe.` end-v Another' object is' to: provide.- anA articlev of.` thetype.l indicated which is economical tol manufacture, of strongerconstruction and proof. against disarrangement of the parts.vorf'dislocation ofv the links when the article is usedy as expansiblebracelet. y

.Another object is: to provide an. improved structure of inner hollow.ylinllgfelements` which. may be assembled with their top and bottomportions. held. together without theuse of pins,..

rivets or solder yet. adapted for .interconnection in-..suchmanner as.tof-prevent their displacement on coming apart.

,Another object is to provide an improved; struc-ture ot the.link-elements in which the mechanical .parts snch` as. the springsv andtheir holding means are entirely concealedV from View to. improve` theoverally appearance. of the chainer on linkagei. i

. Further objects off thel improvements. are. set` `forth@ in4 thefollowing.. specification which` de.-Y

scribes fonefpreterred form oi construction-of the. invention by way ofexample as illustrated-,by the. accompanying. drawing. Ing the drawing:

Fig, 11 isa side elevational viewy of abracelet embodying' thepresent.improved-.constructionof` the; linkf-.elements shown. with theends 0i the, linkage. attached toa wrist-watch;

Eig. 2 is av greatly-enlarged sideelevational.

rViewv of. La series;` of the-connected linkeelements.l

of the band or bracelet shown partly insectlon toi .illustrate theinterior. construction .of vthe elements; i I

. Eigi isla similarly enlarged. view showing. the telescopic( elements4of.- the. linkage as extended. during expansion; of thee bandortbracelet;

1l. is` an4 enlarged; bottom..planview of. vsev@v eralt of the:link-elements' of the linkage: showing?` the latter `as expanded withthev link-elements extended. relationship.;

Figa is a still Vfurther enlarged. endY view ofl the inner telescopic.link-element. shown` partly `in section; Fig.. 6l is: a similarlyenlarged endf View showng. the inner link-element assembled with-theenten link-element and illustrating the cross-pin; tor

anchoring. one end of theftension-spring; and:

Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective View of sev-- eralf of the.link-elements before interconnected and .illustrating one member o-fthe'Y inner slid ing, elementi as disassembled `from. itsr upper' cooperating part withitsbottom Wall partly broken` Theyexible band or:linkage. of` the present invention is in some respects similar to that.disclosed in my prior pending application Seria; No.. 729,431,ledFebruary 19,. 1.941, and consists` oil improvements im the structureand arrange ment` of the parts of; the innerY links to provide more.secure attaching means `for the springs.. and. generally a structurewhich permits more convenient and rapid assembly of the several.. partsof the inner link-elements. The: presen-t.- improved chain: or linkageconsists of a seriesof box-like. outer link-elements. 2. enclosing innerconnecting links 3; which are. telescopically slid? able therein andnormally` held in. contracted relationship totension-springsl 4 toprovide4 forl contraction: and yexpansion of thel bandv or brace-4 letasa whole..`

Theouter enclosing links 2 may behconstructed:` fromsheet-metal. with: atop Wall 6,. preferably. arched. or crowned laterally across its: Width,as, shown-more. clearly in Fig.v 6 and. provided. with; side. walls 1.havingA portionsv 8= folded inwa-rdly4 at-right-angles to meet atthecenter and formare'latively at. bottom wall. Ateach endl of.thesidewalls l the` metall is extended. ma series of relatively narrowlugs If4 and I5 adaptedto bev bent. inwardly to' con-neetA the.elements.. of. the'. linkage together in a continuousband' or brace--let. InA this way theouteror. mainlink-element. 2 isshapedin the. form.of arecta-ngular tube with, a closedtop, bottom` and sides, but openf.at. both ends to. receivev theJ innerv sliding linky 3.

The.l inner Vsliding link--elementy 3.v comprises, two separate parts;2U.r and 2l aslshow-n more.

n particularly` in.r the composite view Eig. 7, it being understoodvthatinT this view all the several partsn ot the links are shownin.inverted relationship,v thatY is, bottomside.up.` The upper part 'linienthe linkeelement 3 f is l constructed'V with a. top iwan:

At the opposite end of the member 20 the metal i is folded atright-angles to form an end wall 28 formed with a central rectangularopening 29 The metal of the end wall 28 is then folded inwardly at 30 ina flat portion which is cut away at the center to form a slottedrecess'- 3|" with two projections 32 at its sides.

The bottom member 2| of the inner telescopic link-element 3 may beformed of sheet-metal stamped out and shaped in dies to provide a flatbottom wall 33 and upstanding side walls 34, thus having a trough-shape.33'of the member 2| is -cut away at its ends inwardly of the terminalportions of the side walls 34 to provide shouldered ledges 35 and 36adapted to interiit with the-slotted bottom portions 24 and 30 at theends of the upper member;20 of the inner link 3 in the manner as latermore particularly explained.

The ends of the side walls 34 of the bottom member. 2| are adapted to beengaged by the shouldered. ends of a'hook-shaped cross-member 40. Thecross-member 40 takes the form of a flat bar with shoul-dered ends 4|and projecting forwardly of the bar is a relatively flat hook 42constructed integral therewith. lThe hook 42 insertion vthrough the loop4l on the spring.A Through these connections the spring 4 is an-Y choredat its opposite ends within the outer and inner link-elements 2 and 3,respectively, to normally maintain them telescoped in contractedvrelationship as shown in Fig.2 while permitting their longitudinalextension as illustrated in Figs. 3'and 4 of the drawing. 1

' Thev method of assembling the parts of the inner link-elements 3 andconnecting them in ar-` ticulated relation with the outer link-element 2is as next explained. Conveniently, the loop 46 at one end of the spring4 may be engaged with the hook 42 oftheanchoring cross-member1v 40,-

as shown at the' left in Fig, 7, and the member 40 placed across the endof the bottom member 2| by engaging its shouldered ends 4| withA theends of its side walls 34 `to enclosethe spring therebetweenas shown inFigs. 4 and 7 The bottom memberA 2| is then assembled with the topmember 20 of the inner link-element 3 byV inserting vit in place withthe shouldered ledges 35 underlying the bottom portion 24 at one end ofthe member 20 and the opposite shouldered ledges 36 underlying thebottom wall `30 at its opposite end. This last-described'interen'gagement of the parts may be effected by a snap action, theends u of the sidewalls 34 ofthe member 2f being slightly inclined asvshown in Fig. 7 so that they will slide across the .edge ofv the bottomportion 36 of the member 23 ul'itgilthe` ledges 36 engage thereunder; itbeing under'vr stood `that the opposite-shouldered ledges-35 on The.bottom wallf 4 the member 2| are first engaged in under the bottomportion 24 of the member 20. When the member 2| is assembled with themember 20 in this manner the edges of its bottom wall 33 at each endthereof will abut the transverse edges of the recesses 21 and 3| in thebottom portions 24 and 30 between the projections 25 and 32 of themember 26. In otherrwords, the ends of the bottom wall 33 of the member2| will assume an interfitting, close connection with the edgesextending between the projections 25 and 32 of the lower portions of thetop member to provide a substantially unbroken bottom wall for the innerlink-element 3, see Fig. 4.

After the parts of the inner link-element 3 have been assembled in themanner explained above this element may be inserted into the end of theouter box-link 2 and the end of the spring 4 connected to the latterbythe pin 42. As a convenient method for accomplishing this latterconnection a Wire formed with a hook at its end may be inserted throughthe outer link 2 and its hook engaged with the loop 4'! at the end ofthe spring 4 to draw it into place for inserting the pin 48therethrough. The ends of the pin 48 may then be'riveted over to hold itsecurely Vin place. It

will be understood that the end of the spring 4v formed with the loop4l' projects through the rectangular opening 29 in the end of the member23. After each inner link-element 3 has been assembled in telescopicrelation to its companion outer link 2 in the manner above explained`the lugs I4 on the outer link-element may be bent inwardly as shown inFigs. 3 and l to limit the' slidingv movement of the inner link-element3 relatively thereof and maintain the elements interconnected.link-elements may be coupled together to form a continuous chainsuitable for use in the manufacture of watch-bands, bracelets, necklacesor the like. f

It will be observed from the foregoing description that the presentimprovements in the structure and arrangement of the link-elementsprovdefor very convenient and rapid assembling of the chain or linkageboth as regards the interconnection of the top member 2|) and bottommember 2| of the inner link-element 3, and during the interconnection ofthe several linkeleu rn'en-ts'in'a chain. that the method of connectingthe topmember 26 and bottom member 2| of the inner link-element 3eliminates the use of screws, pins, rivets, solder or the like and yetproduces a most secure joinder of the parts while providing a smoothfinished appearance on the bottom of this particular link-element. Thesnap engagement be-- at all times tensioned suicently to hold the partstogether.

While the present improvements are herein shown as embodied in apreferred fornifof construction,V it is to be understood that certainmodifications may be madevin the shape and arrangement of the elementsof the linkage without departing from the spirit or scope of the in- In'this way the whole series of' It is to be especially notedv "band, chainor linkage comprising a plurality of open-ended box-like outerlink-elements having lugs projecting at their ends, inner slidablelinkelements each comprising a top plate of sheetmetal with folded endsforming bottom portions, a bottom member for each inner link-elementconstructed of sheet-metal with a bottom wall and upstanding side wallsand said side walls formed at both ends with recessed shoulders, saidbottom member assembled with the top member of each inner link byengaging the shoulders in under the bottom portions of the top member, acrossbar formed with a hook and extending across one end of the bottommember in engagement with the edges of its side Walls, a spring loopedat one end to engage the hook on said crossbar andr provided with a loopat its opposite end, said inner slidable link-elements adapted totelescope within the tubular box-members with the lugs at one end of thelatter engaging with the end portions of the inner link-elements, meansfor attaching the loop at one end of the spring to the sides of theouter box-member to normally maintain the inner link telescoped withinthe outer link.

2. As an improved article of manufacture, a band, chain or linkage foruse in jewelry such as bracelets, said linkage comprising a series ofinner and outer link-elements, said outer linkelements constructed fromsheet-metal in tubular form with lugs projecting from its sides at itsopen ends, inner link-elements each comprising a top plate curled aroundat one end and projecting inwardly to provide a bottom portion slottedto form a recess at its end, the opposite end of said top member beingfolded to provide an end wall with a bottom portion projecting inwardlyand slotted to form a recess, a bottom member for said innerlink-element formed of sheet-metal with a bottom wall and upstandingside walls, the ends of said side Walls being formed with shoulderedledges projecting beyond the ends of the bottom wall, a crossbar formedwith a forwardly-projecting hook and notches at the ends of saidcrossbar adapted to engage the ends of the side walls of the bottom tingthe lateral edges of the slots in said bottom portions of the topmember, said inner link-element being adapted to telescope within theouter link-element and connected therewith by bending the lugs at theends of the outer link-element into engagement with the ends of theinner linkelement, and a pin extending through the sides of the outerlink-element in engagement with the loop at one end of the spring, saidspring normally maintaining the inner link-element telescoped within theouter link-element while adapting it to be extended from the end thereofto permit expansion in the length of the linkage.

3. As an improved article of manufacture, a band, chain or linkage foruse in articles of jewelry comprising a plurality of interconnectedtelescopic link-elements constructed of sheet-metal and consisting ofouter tubular box-like linkelements open at their opposite ends, innerlinkelements constructed from separate sheet-metal members, one memberhaving a top wall folded downwardly at its opposite ends with portionsprojecting inwardly toward each other toV provide relatively shortbottom walls,'each bottom wall formed with a transverse slot at its endand one end wall formed with an. opening, a bottom member having a atbottom wall and upstanding side walls with the ends of said side wallsformed with shouldered ledges projecting beyond the ends of the bottomwall, a crossbar formed with a hook and. engaging across the ends of theside walls of the bottom member at one end thereof, a helical springhaving loops at its ends` with one loop engaged with the hook on thecrossbar, the bottom member of said link-element being assembled inpermanent connection with its top member by engaging the ledges` at itsends in under the bottom portions of said top member with the ends ofthe bottom wall abutting the edges of the transverse slots in the bottommember and prevented from lateral movement on the top member by theprojections at the sides of the slots, said inner link-element beinginserted within the outer link-element and connected therewith by thelugs on the latter bent inwardly to engage its end to permit limitedsliding movement of the inner link-element, and a cross-pin in the outerlink-element engaging the loop at one end of the spring to normallyanchor the spring to the outer link-element to adapt it to act toslidably telescope the inner link-element within the outer link-element.

LOUIS EDMOND VALCOURT.

No references cited.

